US9059593B2 - Charge controlling system, charge controlling apparatus, charge controlling method and discharge controlling apparatus - Google Patents

Charge controlling system, charge controlling apparatus, charge controlling method and discharge controlling apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US9059593B2
US9059593B2 US13/670,440 US201213670440A US9059593B2 US 9059593 B2 US9059593 B2 US 9059593B2 US 201213670440 A US201213670440 A US 201213670440A US 9059593 B2 US9059593 B2 US 9059593B2
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Prior art keywords
voltage
battery
solar cell
battery units
electric power
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US20130300346A1 (en
Inventor
Yoshihito Ishibashi
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Sony Corp
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Sony Corp
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    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/0068Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J3/00Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
    • H02J3/38Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
    • H02J3/46Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/0013Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J7/00Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
    • H02J7/34Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering
    • H02J7/35Parallel operation in networks using both storage and other dc sources, e.g. providing buffering with light sensitive cells
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J2300/00Systems for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by decentralized, dispersed, or local generation
    • H02J2300/20The dispersed energy generation being of renewable origin
    • H02J2300/22The renewable source being solar energy
    • H02J2300/24The renewable source being solar energy of photovoltaic origin
    • H02J2300/26The renewable source being solar energy of photovoltaic origin involving maximum power point tracking control for photovoltaic sources
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J2300/00Systems for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by decentralized, dispersed, or local generation
    • H02J2300/20The dispersed energy generation being of renewable origin
    • H02J2300/28The renewable source being wind energy
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J2310/00The network for supplying or distributing electric power characterised by its spatial reach or by the load
    • H02J2310/40The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H02GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02JCIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY
    • H02J3/00Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
    • H02J3/38Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
    • H02J3/381Dispersed generators
    • H02J3/385
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02EREDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/50Photovoltaic [PV] energy
    • Y02E10/56Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
    • Y02E10/58
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02EREDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E10/00Energy generation through renewable energy sources
    • Y02E10/70Wind energy
    • Y02E10/76Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02TCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/60Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
    • Y02T10/70Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
    • Y02T10/7055

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to a charge controlling system, a charge controlling apparatus, a charge controlling method and a discharge controlling apparatus wherein control for a battery unit is carried out, for example, in response to sensor information of a sensor which the battery unit has.
  • Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-056962 discloses a technology wherein the lowest temperature of a cell and the highest temperature of another cell from among a plurality of cells are compared with each other such that the charging power is limited when the temperature difference between them is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.
  • the technique disclosed in the document mentioned above limits the charging power when the temperature of the cells satisfies a predetermined condition. Since the charging power is limited, there is a problem that the power exceeding the limited level is wasted.
  • a charge controlling system including a control apparatus, and a plurality of battery units connected to the control apparatus.
  • the control apparatus includes an acquisition section configured to acquire sensor information from at least one of the battery units, and a control section configured to set a magnitude of charge current for each of the battery units in response to the sensor information, and the battery units individually include a battery, a charge controlling section configured to charge the battery with the charge current of the magnitude set by the control section, and a sensor for acquiring the sensor information.
  • a charge controlling apparatus including an acquisition section configured to acquire sensor information from at least one of a plurality of battery units, and a control section configured to set a magnitude of charge current for each of the battery units in response to the sensor information.
  • a charge controlling method including acquiring sensor information from at least one of a plurality of battery units, and setting a magnitude of charge current for each of the battery units in response to the sensor information.
  • a discharge controlling apparatus including a temperature information acquisition section configured to acquire temperature information from at least one of a plurality of battery units, and a control section configured to decrease an output amount of a predetermined battery unit whose temperature information is higher than a reference temperature but increase an output amount of a different battery unit whose temperature information is lower than the reference temperature.
  • the control section controls the different battery unit such that the increased output amount is greater than the decreased output amount.
  • charging can be carried out efficiently.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a system
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a control unit
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a power supply system of the control unit
  • FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a particular configuration of a high voltage input power supply circuit of the control unit
  • FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a battery unit
  • FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a power supply system of the battery unit
  • FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a particular configuration of a charger circuit of the battery unit
  • FIG. 8A is a graph illustrating a voltage-current characteristic of a solar cell
  • FIG. 8B is a graph, particularly a P-V curve, representative of a relationship between the terminal voltage of the solar cell and the generated electric power of the solar cell in the case where a voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell is represented by a certain curve;
  • FIG. 9A is a graph illustrating a variation of an operating point with respect to a change of a curve representative of a voltage-current characteristic of a solar cell
  • FIG. 9B is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a control system wherein cooperation control is carried out by a control unit and a plurality of battery units;
  • FIG. 10A is a graph illustrating a variation of an operating point when cooperation control is carried out in the case where the illumination intensity upon a solar cell decreases
  • FIG. 10B is a graph illustrating a variation of an operating point when cooperation control is carried out in the case where the load as viewed from the solar cell increases;
  • FIG. 11 is a graph illustrating a variation of an operating point when cooperation control is carried out in the case where both of the illumination intensity upon the solar cell and the load as viewed from the solar cell vary;
  • the control unit CU and the battery units BU are individually connected to each other by electric power lines.
  • the power lines include, for example, an electric power line L 1 by which electric power is supplied from the control unit CU to the battery units BU and another electric power line L 2 by which electric power is supplied from the battery units BU to the control unit CU.
  • bidirectional communication is carried out through a signal line SL between the control unit CU and the battery units BU.
  • the communication may be carried out in conformity with such specifications as, for example, the SMBus (System Management Bus) or the UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter).
  • the control unit CU is configured from a high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and a low voltage input power supply circuit 12 .
  • the control unit CU has one or a plurality of first devices. In the present example, the control unit CU has two first devices, which individually correspond to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 .
  • the voltages to be inputted to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 may be included in the same input range.
  • the input ranges of the voltages which can be accepted by the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 may overlap with each other.
  • a voltage generated by an electric power generation section which generates electricity in response to the environment is supplied to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 .
  • the electric power generation section is an apparatus which generates electricity by the sunlight or wind power.
  • the electric power generation section is not limited to that apparatus which generates electricity in response the natural environment.
  • the electric power generation section may be configured as an apparatus which generates electricity by human power.
  • voltages are supplied from the same electric power generation section or different electric power generation sections to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 .
  • the voltage or voltages generated by the electric power generation section or sections are an example of a first voltage or voltages.
  • the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 converts the voltage V 10 into 45 V. However, when the voltage V 10 is 100 V, the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 converts the voltage V 10 into 43 V. In response to a variation of the voltage V 10 within the range from 75 to 100 V, the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 generates the second voltage such that the second voltage changes substantially linearly within the range from 45 to 48 V. The high voltage input power supply circuit 11 outputs the generated second voltage. It is to be noted that the rate of change of the second voltage need not necessarily be linear, but a feedback circuit may be used such that the output of the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 is used as it is.
  • a DC voltage V 11 within a range of 10 to 40 V generated, for example, by electric power generation by wind or electric power generation by human power is supplied.
  • the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 generates a second voltage in response to a fluctuation of the voltage V 11 similarly to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 .
  • the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 steps up the voltage V 11 , for example, to a DC voltage within the range of 45 to 48 V in response to a change of the voltage V 11 within the range from 10 V to 40 V.
  • the stepped up DC voltage is outputted from the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 .
  • Both or one of the output voltages of the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 is inputted to the battery units BU.
  • the DC voltage supplied to the battery units BU is denoted by V 12 .
  • the voltage V 12 is, for example, a DC voltage within the range from 45 to 48 V. All or some of the battery units BU are charged by the voltage V 12 . It is to be noted that a battery unit BU which is discharging is not charged.
  • a personal computer may be connectable to the control unit CU.
  • a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable is used to connect the control unit CU and the personal computer to each other.
  • the control unit CU may be controlled using the personal computer.
  • a general configuration of a battery unit which is an example of a second apparatus is described. While description is given below taking the battery unit BUa as an example, unless otherwise specified, the battery unit BUb and the battery unit BUc have the same configuration.
  • the battery unit BUa includes a charger or charging circuit 41 a , a discharger or discharging circuit 42 a and a battery Ba. Also the other battery units BU include a charger or charging circuit, a discharger or discharging circuit and a battery. In the following description, when there is no necessity to distinguish each battery, it is referred to suitably as battery B.
  • the charger circuit 41 a converts the voltage V 12 supplied thereto from the control unit CU into a voltage applicable to the battery Ba.
  • the battery Ba is charged based on the voltage obtained by the conversion. It is to be noted that the charger circuit 41 a changes the charge rate into the battery Ba in response to a fluctuation of the voltage V 12 .
  • Each battery B may be a lithium-ion battery, an olivine-type iron phosphate lithium-ion battery, a lead battery or the like.
  • the batteries B of the battery units BU may be those of different battery types from each other.
  • the battery Ba of the battery unit BUa and the battery Bb of the battery unit BUb are configured from a lithium-ion battery and the battery Bc of the battery unit BUc is configured from a lead battery.
  • the number and the connection scheme of battery cells in the batteries B can be changed suitably.
  • a plurality of battery cells may be connected in series or in parallel. Or series connections of a plurality of battery cells may be connected in parallel.
  • FIG. 2 shows an example of an internal configuration of the control unit CU.
  • the control unit CU includes the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 .
  • the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 includes an AC-DC converter 11 a for converting an AC input to a DC output, and a DC-DC converter 11 b for stepping down the voltage V 10 to a DC voltage within the range from 45 to 48V.
  • the AC-DC converter 11 a and the DC-DC converter 11 b may be those of known types. It is to be noted that, in the case where only a DC voltage is supplied to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 , the AC-DC converter 11 a may be omitted.
  • a voltage sensor, an electronic switch and a current sensor are connected to each of an input stage and an output stage of the DC-DC converter 11 b .
  • the voltage sensor is represented by a square mark; the electronic switch by a round mark; and the current sensor by a round mark with slanting lines individually in a simplified representation.
  • a voltage sensor 11 c , an electronic switch 11 d and a current sensor 11 e are connected to the input stage of the DC-DC converter 11 b .
  • a current sensor 11 f , an electronic switch 11 g and a voltage sensor 11 h are connected to the output stage of the DC-DC converter 11 b .
  • Sensor information obtained by the sensors is supplied to a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 13 hereinafter described. On/off operations of the electronic switches are controlled by the CPU 13 .
  • CPU Central Processing Unit
  • the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 includes a DC-DC converter 12 a for stepping up the voltage V 11 to a DC voltage within the range from 45 to 48 V.
  • a voltage sensor, an electronic switch and a current sensor are connected to each of an input stage and an output stage of the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 .
  • a voltage sensor 12 b , an electronic switch 12 c and a current sensor 12 d are connected to the input stage of the DC-DC converter 12 a .
  • a current sensor 12 e , an electronic switch 12 f and a voltage sensor 12 g are connected to the output stage of the DC-DC converter 12 a .
  • Sensor information obtained by the sensors is supplied to the CPU 13 . On/off operations of the switches are controlled by the CPU 13 .
  • an arrow mark extending from a sensor represents that sensor information is supplied to the CPU 13 .
  • An arrow mark extending to an electronic switch represents that the electronic switch is controlled by the CPU 13 .
  • An output voltage of the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 is outputted through a diode.
  • An output voltage of the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 is outputted through another diode.
  • the output voltage of the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the output voltage of the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 are combined, and the combined voltage V 12 is outputted to the battery unit BU through the electric power line L 1 .
  • the voltage V 13 supplied from the battery unit BU is supplied to the control unit CU through the electric power line L 2 .
  • the voltage V 13 supplied to the control unit CU is supplied to the external apparatus through an electric power line L 3 . It is to be noted that, in FIG. 2 , the voltage supplied to the external apparatus is represented as voltage V 14 .
  • the control unit CU includes the CPU 13 .
  • the CPU 13 controls the components of the control unit CU. For example, the CPU 13 switches on/off the electronic switches of the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 . Further, the CPU 13 supplies control signals to the battery units BU.
  • the CPU 13 supplies to the battery units BU a control signal for turning on the power supply to the battery units BU or a control signal for instructing the battery units BU to charge or discharge.
  • the CPU 13 can output control signals of different contents to the individual battery units BU.
  • the CPU 13 is connected to a memory 15 , a D/A (Digital to Analog) conversion section 16 , an A/D (Analog to Digital) conversion section 17 and a temperature sensor 18 through a bus 14 .
  • the bus 14 is configured, for example, from an I 2 C bus.
  • the memory 15 is configured from a nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory).
  • the D/A conversion section 16 converts digital signals used in various processes into analog signals.
  • the CPU 13 receives sensor information measured by the voltage sensors and the current sensors.
  • the sensor information is inputted to the CPU 13 after it is converted into digital signals by the A/D conversion section 17 .
  • the temperature sensor 18 measures an environmental temperature.
  • the temperature sensor 18 measures a temperature in the inside of the control unit CU or a temperature around the control unit CU.
  • the CPU 13 may have a communication function.
  • the CPU 13 and a personal computer (PC) 19 may communicate with each other.
  • the CPU 13 may communicate not only with the personal computer but also with an apparatus connected to a network such as the Internet.
  • FIG. 3 principally shows an example of a configuration of the control unit CU which relates to a power supply system.
  • a diode 20 for the backflow prevention is connected to the output stage of the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 .
  • Another diode 21 for the backflow prevention is connected to the output stage of the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 .
  • the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 are connected to each other by OR connection by the diode 20 and the diode 21 . Outputs of the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 are combined and supplied to the battery unit BU.
  • the control unit CU includes a main switch SW 1 which can be operated by a user.
  • the main switch SW 1 When the main switch SW 1 is switched on, electric power is supplied to the CPU 13 to start up the control unit CU.
  • the electric power is supplied to the CPU 13 , for example, from a battery 22 built in the control unit CU.
  • the battery 22 is a rechargeable battery such as a lithium-ion battery.
  • a DC voltage from the battery 22 is converted into a voltage, with which the CPU 13 operates, by a DC-DC converter 23 .
  • the voltage obtained by the conversion is supplied as a power supply voltage to the CPU 13 . In this manner, upon start-up of the control unit CU, the battery 22 is used.
  • the battery 22 is controlled, for example, by the CPU 13 .
  • the battery 22 can be charged by electric power supplied from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 or the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 or otherwise from the battery units BU. Electric power supplied from the battery units BU is supplied to a charger circuit 24 .
  • the charger circuit 24 includes a DC-DC converter. The voltage V 13 supplied from the battery units BU is converted into a DC voltage of a predetermined level by the charger circuit 24 . The DC voltage obtained by the conversion is supplied to the battery 22 . The battery 22 is charged by the DC voltage supplied thereto.
  • the CPU 13 may operate with the voltage V 13 supplied thereto from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 , low voltage input power supply circuit 12 or battery units BU.
  • the voltage V 13 supplied from the battery units BU is converted into a voltage of a predetermined level by a DC-DC converter 25 .
  • the voltage obtained by the conversion is supplied as a power supply voltage to the CPU 13 so that the CPU 13 operates.
  • the control unit CU After the control unit CU is started up, if at least one of the voltages V 10 and V 11 is inputted, then the voltage V 12 is generated.
  • the voltage V 12 is supplied to the battery units BU through the electric power line L 1 .
  • the CPU 13 uses the signal line SL to communicate with the battery units BU. By this communication, the CPU 13 outputs a control signal for instructing the battery units BU to start up and discharge. Then, the CPU 13 switches on a switch SW 2 .
  • the switch SW 2 is configured, for example, from an FET (Field Effect Transistor). Or the switch SW 2 may be configured from an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor). When the switch SW 2 is on, the voltage V 13 is supplied from the battery units BU to the control unit CU.
  • a diode 26 for the backflow prevention is connected to the output side of the switch SW 2 .
  • the connection of the diode 26 can prevent unstable electric power, which is supplied from a solar battery or a wind power generation source, from being supplied directly to the external apparatus.
  • stabilized electric power supplied from the battery units BU can be supplied to the external apparatus.
  • a diode may be provided on the final stage of the battery units BU in order to secure the safety.
  • the CPU 13 switches on a switch SW 3 .
  • the switch SW 3 When the switch SW 3 is switched on, the voltage V 14 based on the voltage V 13 is supplied to the external apparatus through the electric power line L 3 . It is to be noted that the voltage V 14 may be supplied to the other battery units BU so that the batteries B of the other battery units BU are charged by the voltage V 14 .
  • FIG. 4 shows an example of a particular configuration of the high voltage input power supply circuit.
  • the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 includes the DC-DC converter 11 b and a feedforward controlling system hereinafter described.
  • the voltage sensor 11 c , electronic switch 11 d , current sensor 11 e , current sensor 11 f , electronic switch 11 g and voltage sensor 11 h as well as the diode 20 and so forth are not shown.
  • the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 is configured substantially similarly to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 except that the DC-DC converter 12 a is that of the step-up type.
  • the DC-DC converter 11 b is configured from a primary side circuit 32 including, for example, a switching element, a transformer 33 , and a secondary side circuit 34 including a rectification element and so forth.
  • the DC-DC converter 11 b shown in FIG. 4 is that of the current resonance type, namely, an LLC resonance converter.
  • the feedforward controlling system includes an operational amplifier 35 , a transistor 36 and resistors Rc 1 , Rc 2 and Rc 3 .
  • An output of the feedforward controlling system is inputted to a controlling terminal provided on a driver of the primary side circuit 32 of the DC-DC converter 11 b .
  • the DC-DC converter 11 b adjusts the output voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 so that the input voltage to the controlling terminal may be fixed.
  • the control unit CU including the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 has a function of a voltage conversion apparatus which varies the output voltage, for example, in response to a change of the input voltage from a solar cell or the like.
  • an output voltage is extracted from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 through the AC-DC converter 11 a including a capacitor 31 , primary side circuit 32 , transformer 33 and secondary side circuit 34 .
  • the AC-DC converter 11 a is a power factor correction circuit disposed where the input to the control unit CU from the outside is an AC power supply.
  • the output from the control unit CU is sent to the battery units BU through the electric power line L 1 .
  • the individual battery units BUa, BUb and BUc are connected to output terminals Te 1 , Te 2 , Te 3 , . . . through diodes D 1 , D 2 , D 3 , . . . for the backflow prevention, respectively.
  • a voltage obtained by stepping down a fixed voltage Vt 0 determined in advance to kc times is inputted.
  • the input voltage kc ⁇ Vt 0 to the negated input terminal c 1 of the operational amplifier 35 is applied, for example, from the D/A conversion section 16 .
  • the value of the voltage Vt 0 is retained in a built-in memory of the D/A conversion section 16 and can be changed as occasion demands.
  • the value of the voltage Vt 0 may otherwise be retained into the memory 15 connected to the CPU 13 through the bus 14 such that it is transferred to the D/A conversion section 16 .
  • the output terminal of the operational amplifier 35 is connected to the base of the transistor 36 , and voltage-current conversion is carried out in response to the difference between the input voltage to the non-negated input terminal and the input voltage to the negated input terminal of the operational amplifier 35 by the transistor 36 .
  • the resistance value of the resistor Rc 2 connected to the emitter of the transistor 36 is higher than the resistance value of the resistor Rc 1 connected in parallel to the resistor Rc 2 .
  • the input voltage to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 is sufficiently higher than the fixed voltage Vt 0 determined in advance.
  • the transistor 36 since the transistor 36 is in an on state, and the value of the combined resistance of the resistor Rc 1 and the resistor Rc 2 is lower than the resistance value of the resistor Rc 1 , the potential at a point f shown in FIG. 4 approaches the ground potential.
  • the DC-DC converter 11 b which detects the drop of the input voltage to the controlling terminal steps up the output voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 so that the input voltage to the controlling terminal may be fixed.
  • the state of the transistor 36 approaches an off state from an on state. As the state of the transistor 36 approaches an off state from an on state, current becomes less likely to flow to the resistor Rc 1 and the resistor Rc 2 , and the potential at the point f shown in FIG. 4 rises.
  • the input voltage to the controlling terminal provided on the driver of the primary side circuit 32 is brought out of a state in which it is kept fixed. Therefore, the DC-DC converter 11 b steps down the output voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 so that the input voltage to the controlling terminal may be fixed.
  • the control unit CU including the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 dynamically changes the output voltage in response to the magnitude of the input voltage.
  • the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 dynamically changes the output voltage also in response to a change of the voltage required on the output side of the control unit CU.
  • a battery unit BU is electrically connected additionally to the control unit CU, and consequently, the terminal voltage of the solar cell connected to the control unit CU drops. Then, when the input voltage to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 drops, the state of the transistor 36 approaches an off state from an on state, and the output voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 is stepped down.
  • the resistance values of the resistors Rc 1 , Rc 2 and Rc 3 are selected suitably such that the value of the output voltage of the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 may be included in a range set in advance.
  • the upper limit to the output voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 is determined by the resistance values of the resistors Rc 1 and Rc 2 .
  • the transistor 36 is disposed so that, when the input voltage to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 is higher than the predetermined value, the value of the output voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 may not exceed the voltage value of the upper limit set in advance.
  • the lower limit to the output voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 is determined by the input voltage to the non-negated input terminal of an operational amplifier of a feedforward controlling system of the charger circuit 41 a as hereinafter described.
  • FIG. 5 shows an example of an internal configuration of the battery units BU.
  • description is given taking the battery unit BUa as an example.
  • the battery unit BUb and the battery unit BUc have a configuration similar to that of the battery unit BUa.
  • the battery unit BUa includes a charger circuit 41 a , a discharger circuit 42 a and a battery Ba.
  • the voltage V 12 is supplied from the control unit CU to the charger circuit 41 a .
  • the voltage V 13 which is an output from the battery unit BUa is supplied to the control unit. CU through the discharger circuit 42 a .
  • the voltage V 13 may otherwise be supplied directly to the external apparatus from the discharger circuit 42 a.
  • the charger circuit 41 a includes a DC-DC converter 43 a .
  • the voltage V 12 inputted to the charger circuit 41 a is converted into a predetermined voltage by the DC-DC converter 43 a .
  • the predetermined voltage obtained by the conversion is supplied to the battery Ba to charge the battery Ba.
  • the predetermined voltage differs depending upon the type and so forth of the battery Ba.
  • a voltage sensor 43 b To the input stage of the DC-DC converter 43 a , a voltage sensor 43 b , an electronic switch 43 c and a current sensor 43 d are connected.
  • a current sensor 43 e , an electronic switch 43 f and a voltage sensor 43 g are connected to the output stage of the DC-DC converter 43 a .
  • the discharger circuit 42 a includes a DC-DC converter 44 a .
  • the DC voltage supplied from the battery Ba to the discharger circuit 42 a is converted into the voltage V 13 by the DC-DC converter 44 a .
  • the voltage V 13 obtained by the conversion is outputted from the discharger circuit 42 a .
  • a voltage sensor 44 b To the input stage of the DC-DC converter 44 a , a voltage sensor 44 b , an electronic switch 44 c and a current sensor 44 d are connected.
  • a current sensor 44 e , an electronic switch 44 f and a voltage sensor 44 g are connected.
  • the battery unit BUa includes a CPU 45 .
  • the CPU 45 controls the components of the battery unit BU.
  • the CPU 45 controls on/off operations of the electronic switches.
  • the CPU 45 may carry out processes for assuring the safety of the battery B such as an overcharge preventing function and an excessive current preventing function.
  • the CPU 45 is connected to a bus 46 .
  • the bus 46 may be, for example, an I 2 C bus.
  • the memory 47 is a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as, for example, an EEPROM.
  • the A/D conversion section 48 converts analog sensor information obtained by the voltage sensors and the current sensors into digital information.
  • the sensor information converted into digital signals by the A/D conversion section 48 is supplied to the CPU 45 .
  • the temperature sensor 49 measures the temperature at a predetermined place in the battery unit BUa. Particularly, the temperature sensor 49 measures, for example, the temperature of the periphery of a circuit board on which the CPU 45 is mounted and the temperature of the battery Ba. Further, the temperature sensor 49 measures the temperature of the charger circuit 41 a and the discharger circuit 42 a . For example, the temperature of the electronic switches 43 c and 43 f in the charger circuit 41 a is measured. Upon charging, the temperature of the electronic switches 43 c and 43 f is likely to become a high temperature. Therefore, in a charge controlling process hereinafter described, temperature information relating at least to the temperature of the electronic switches 43 c and 43 f may be supplied to the control unit CU.
  • the temperature information measured by the temperature sensor 49 is converted into a digital signal by the A/D conversion section 48 .
  • the temperature information in the form of a digital signal obtained by the conversion is supplied to the CPU 45 .
  • the CPU 45 transmits the temperature information to the control unit CU, for example, in accordance with a request from the control unit CU. Or, the CPU 45 may periodically transmit the temperature information to the control unit CU irrespective of the request from the control unit CU.
  • the CPU 45 may have an A/D conversion function such that the temperature information is directly converted by the CPU 45 .
  • the temperature sensor 49 itself may have a conversion processing function such that the temperature information is converted into a digital signal and supplied to the CPU 45 in response to a reading out process from the CPU 45 .
  • FIG. 6 shows an example of a configuration of the battery unit BUa principally relating to a power supply system.
  • the battery unit BUa does not include a main switch.
  • a switch SW 5 and a DC-DC converter 39 are connected between the battery Ba and the CPU 45 .
  • Another switch SW 6 is connected between the battery Ba and the discharger circuit 42 a .
  • a further switch SW 7 is connected to the input stage of the charger circuit 41 a .
  • a still further switch SW 8 is connected to the output stage of the discharger circuit 42 a .
  • the switches SW are configured, for example, from an FET.
  • the CPU 45 executes control in accordance with an instruction of the control unit CU. For example, a control signal for the instruction to charge is supplied from the control unit CU to the CPU 45 . In response to the instruction to charge, the CPU 45 switches off the switch SW 6 and the switch SW 8 and then switches on the switch SW 7 . When the switch SW 7 is on, the voltage V 12 supplied from the control unit CU is supplied to the charger circuit 41 a . The voltage V 12 is converted into a predetermined voltage by the charger circuit 41 a , and the battery Ba is charged by the predetermined voltage obtained by the conversion. It is to be noted that the charging method into the battery B can be changed suitably in response to the type of the battery B.
  • a control signal for the instruction to discharge is supplied from the control unit CU to the CPU 45 .
  • the CPU 45 switches off the switch SW 7 and switches on the switches SW 6 and SW 8 .
  • the switch SW 8 is switched on after a fixed interval of time after the switch SW 6 is switched on.
  • the switch SW 6 is on, the DC voltage from the battery Ba is supplied to the discharger circuit 42 a .
  • the DC voltage from the battery Ba is converted into the voltage V 13 by the discharger circuit 42 a .
  • the voltage V 13 obtained by the conversion is supplied to the control unit CU through the switch SW 8 .
  • a diode may be added to a succeeding stage to the switch SW 8 in order to prevent the output of the switch SW 8 from interfering with the output from a different one of the battery units BU.
  • the discharger circuit 42 a can be changed over between on and off by control of the CPU 45 .
  • an ON/OFF signal line extending from the CPU 45 to the discharger circuit 42 a is used.
  • a switch SW not shown is provided on the output side of the switch SW 6 .
  • the switch SW in this instance is hereinafter referred to as switch SW 10 taking the convenience in description into consideration.
  • the switch SW 10 carries out changeover between a first path which passes the discharger circuit 42 a and a second path which does not pass the discharger circuit 42 a.
  • the CPU 45 In order to turn on the discharger circuit 42 a , the CPU 45 connects the switch SW 10 to the first path. Consequently, an output from the switch SW 6 is supplied to the switch SW 8 through the discharger circuit 42 a . In order to turn off the discharger circuit 42 a , the CPU 45 connects the switch SW 10 to the second path. Consequently, the output from the switch SW 6 is supplied directly to the switch SW 8 without by way of the discharger circuit 42 a.
  • the DC-DC converter 43 a is configured, for example, from a transistor 51 , a coil 52 , a controlling IC (Integrated Circuit) 53 and so forth.
  • the transistor 51 is controlled by the controlling IC 53 .
  • the feedforward controlling system provided in the charger circuit 41 a acts similarly to the feedforward controlling system provided in the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 .
  • the charger circuit 41 a includes the feedforward controlling system, the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a is adjusted so that the value thereof may become a voltage value within a range set in advance. Since the value of the output voltage from the charger circuit is adjusted to a voltage value within the range set in advance, the charging current to the batteries B electrically connected to the control unit CU is adjusted in response to a change of the input voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 . Accordingly, the battery units BU which include the charger circuit have a function of a charging apparatus which changes the charge rate to the batteries B.
  • the input to the charger circuit 41 a is an output, for example, from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 or the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 of the control unit CU described hereinabove. Accordingly, one of the output terminals Te 1 , Te 2 , Te 3 , shown in FIG. 4 and the input terminal of the charger circuit 41 a are connected to each other.
  • the value of the output voltage from each charger circuit is adjusted so as to become a voltage value within the range set in advance in response to the type of the battery connected to the charger circuit.
  • the range of the output voltage from each charger circuit is adjusted by suitably selecting the resistance value of the resistors Rb 1 , Rb 2 and Rb 3 .
  • the type of the batteries B provided in the battery units BU is not limited specifically. This is because the resistance values of the resistors Rb 1 , Rb 2 and Rb 3 in the charger circuits may be suitably selected in response to the type of the batteries B connected thereto.
  • the CPU 45 of the battery units BU may supply an input to the controlling terminal of the controlling IC 53 .
  • the CPU 45 of the battery unit BU may acquire information relating to the input voltage to the battery unit BU from the CPU 13 of the control unit CU through the signal line SL.
  • the CPU 13 of the control unit CU can acquire information relating to the input voltage to the battery unit BU from a result of measurement of the voltage sensor 11 h or the voltage sensor 12 g.
  • the input to the non-negated input terminal of the operational amplifier 55 is a voltage obtained by stepping down the input voltage to the charger circuit 41 a to kb times, where kb is approximately one several tenth to one hundredth.
  • the input to the negated input terminal b 1 of the operational amplifier 55 is a voltage obtained by stepping down a voltage Vb, which is to be set as a lower limit to the output voltage from the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 or the low voltage input power supply circuit 12 , to kb times.
  • the input voltage kb ⁇ Vb to the negated input terminal b 1 of the operational amplifier 55 is applied, for example, from the CPU 45 .
  • the feedforward controlling system provided in the charger circuit 41 a steps up the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a when the input voltage to the charger circuit 41 a is sufficiently higher than the fixed voltage Vb determined in advance. Then, when the input voltage to the charger circuit 41 a approaches the fixed voltage Vb determined in advance, the feedforward controlling system steps down the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a.
  • the transistor 56 is disposed so that, when the input voltage to the charger circuit 41 a is higher than the predetermined value, the value of the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a may not exceed an upper limit set in advance similarly to the transistor 36 described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 4 . It is to be noted that the range of the value of the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a depends upon the combination of the resistance values of the resistors Rb 1 , Rb 2 and Rb 3 . Therefore, the resistance values of the resistors Rb 1 , Rb 2 and Rb 3 are adjusted in response to the type of the batteries B connected to the charger circuits.
  • the charger circuit 41 a includes also the feedback controlling system as described hereinabove.
  • the feedback controlling system is configured, for example, from a current sensor 54 , an operational amplifier 57 , a transistor 58 and so forth.
  • the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a is stepped down by the feedback controlling system, and the current amount supplied to the battery Ba is limited.
  • the degree of the limitation to the current amount to be supplied to the battery Ba is determined in accordance with a rated value of the battery B connected to each charger circuit.
  • the current amount to be supplied to the battery Ba is limited.
  • the current amount supplied to the battery Ba is limited, as a result, charging into the battery Ba connected to the charger circuit 41 a is decelerated.
  • FIG. 8A is a graph illustrating a voltage-current characteristic of a solar cell.
  • the axis of ordinate represents the terminal current of the solar cell and the axis of abscissa represents the terminal voltage of the solar cell.
  • Isc represents an output current value when the terminals of the solar cell are short-circuited while light is irradiated upon the solar cell
  • Voc represents an output voltage when the terminals of the solar cell are open while light is irradiated upon the solar cell.
  • the current Isc and the voltage Voc are called short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage, respectively.
  • FIG. 8A the graph indicative of a voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell is represented by a curve C 1 shown in FIG. 8A .
  • a point on the curve C 1 represented by a set of the terminal voltage and the terminal current of the solar cell at this time is called operating point of the solar cell.
  • FIG. 8A schematically indicates the position of the operating point but does not indicate the position of an actual operating point. This similarly applies also to an operating point appearing on any other figure of the present disclosure.
  • a set of a terminal voltage Va and terminal current Ia with which the product of the terminal voltage and the terminal current, namely, the generated electric power, exhibits a maximum value is found.
  • the point represented by the set of the terminal voltage Va and the terminal current Ia with which the electric power obtained by the solar cell exhibits a maximum value is called optimum operating point of the solar cell.
  • the maximum electric power obtained from the solar cell is determined by the product of the terminal voltage Va and the terminal current Ia which provide the optimum operating point.
  • the maximum electric power obtained from the solar cell is represented by the area of a shadowed region in FIG. 8A , namely by Va ⁇ Ia. It is to be noted that the amount obtained by dividing Va ⁇ Ia by Voc ⁇ Isc is a fill factor.
  • the optimum operating point varies depending upon the electric power required by the load connected to the solar cell, and the point P A representative of the operating point moves on the curve C 1 as the electric power required by the load connected to the solar cell varies.
  • the electric power amount required by the load is small, the current to be supplied to the load may be lower than the terminal current at the optimum operating point. Therefore, the value of the terminal voltage of the solar cell at this time is higher than the voltage value at the optimum operating point.
  • the electric power amount required by the load is greater than the electric power amount which can be supplied at the optimum operating point, the electric power amount exceeds the electric power which can be supplied at the illumination intensity at this point of time. Therefore, it is considered that the terminal voltage of the solar cell drops toward 0 V.
  • Curves C 2 and C 3 shown in FIG. 8A indicate, for example, voltage-current characteristics of the solar cell when the illumination intensity upon the solar cell varies.
  • the curve C 2 shown in FIG. 8A corresponds to the voltage-current characteristic in the case where the illumination intensity upon the solar cell increases
  • the curve C 3 shown in FIG. 8A corresponds to the voltage-current characteristic in the case where the illumination intensity upon the solar cell decreases.
  • the optimum operating point varies in response to the increase of the illumination intensity upon the solar cell. It is to be noted that the optimum operating point at this time moves from a point on the curve C 1 to another point on the curve C 2 .
  • the MPPT control is nothing but to determine an optimum operating point with respect to a variation of a curve representative of a voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell and control the terminal voltage or terminal current of the solar cell so that electric power obtained from the solar cell may be maximized.
  • FIG. 8B is a graph, namely, a P-V curve, representative of a relationship between the terminal voltage of the solar cell and the generated electric power of the solar cell in the case where a voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell is represented by a certain curve.
  • the terminal voltage which provides the maximum operating point can be determined by a method called mountain climbing method.
  • a series of steps described below is usually executed by a CPU or the like of a power conditioner connected between the solar cell and the power system.
  • the initial value of the voltage inputted from the solar cell is set to V 0 , and the generated electric power P 0 at this time is calculated first.
  • the generated electric power P 1 when the voltage inputted from the solar cell is V 1 is calculated.
  • the generated electric power P 2 when the voltage inputted from the solar cell is V 2 is calculated.
  • the resulting generated electric power P 2 is compared with the formerly generated electric power P 1 .
  • the generated electric power P 3 when the voltage inputted from the solar cell is V 3 is calculated.
  • the terminal voltage which provides the maximum operating point exists between the voltages V 2 and V 3 .
  • the terminal voltage which provides the maximum operating point can be determined with an arbitrary degree of accuracy.
  • a bisection method algorithm may be applied to the procedure described above. It is to be noted that, if the P-V curve has two or more peaks in such a case that a shade appears locally on the light irradiation face of the solar cell, then a simple mountain climbing method cannot cope with this. Therefore, the control program requires some scheme.
  • the MPPT control since the terminal voltage can be adjusted such that the load as viewed from the solar cell is always in an optimum state, maximum electric power can be extracted from the solar cell in different weather conditions.
  • analog/digital conversion A/D conversion
  • time is required for the control. Consequently, the MPPT control cannot sometimes respond to a sudden change of the illumination intensity upon the solar cell in such a case that the sky suddenly becomes cloudy and the illumination intensity upon the solar cell changes suddenly.
  • the change of the open voltage Voc with respect to the change of the illumination intensity upon the solar cell which may be considered a change of a curve representative of a voltage-current characteristic, is smaller than the change of the short-circuit current Isc.
  • all solar cells indicate voltage-current characteristics similar to each other, and it is known that, in the case of a crystal silicon solar cell, the terminal voltage which provides the maximum operating point is found around approximately 80% of the open voltage.
  • the switching element is switched off, and then when predetermined time elapses, the terminal voltage of the solar cell is measured by the voltage measuring instrument.
  • the reason why the lapse of the predetermined time is waited before measurement of the terminal voltage of the solar cell after the switching off of the switching element is that it is intended to wait that the terminal voltage of the solar cell is stabilized.
  • the terminal voltage at this time is the open voltage Voc.
  • the voltage value of, for example, 80% of the open voltage Voc obtained by the measurement is calculated as a target voltage value, and the target voltage value is temporarily retained into a memory or the like.
  • the switching element is switched on to start energization of the converter in the power conditioner.
  • the output current of the converter is adjusted so that the terminal voltage of the solar cell becomes equal to the target voltage value.
  • the control by the voltage tracking method is high in loss of the electric power obtained by the solar cell in comparison with the MPPT control.
  • the control by the voltage tracking method can be implemented by a simple circuit and is lower in cost, the power conditioner including the converter can be configured at a comparatively low cost.
  • FIG. 9A illustrates a change of the operating point with respect to a change of a curve representative of a voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell.
  • the axis of ordinate represents the terminal current of the solar cell
  • the axis of abscissa represents the terminal voltage of the solar cell.
  • a blank round mark in FIG. 9A represents the operating point when the MPPT control is carried out
  • a solid round mark in FIG. 9A represents the operating point when control by the voltage tracking method is carried out.
  • the curve representative of a voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell is a curve C 5 .
  • the curve representative of the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell successively changes from the curve C 5 to a curve C 8 .
  • the operating points according to the control methods change in response to the change of the curve representative of the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell. It is to be noted that, since the change of the open voltage Voc with respect to the change of the illumination intensity upon the solar cell is small, in FIG. 9A , the target voltage value when control by the voltage tracking method is carried out is regarded as a substantially fixed value Vs.
  • the curve representative of the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell is the curve C 8
  • the degree of the deviation between the operating point of the MPPT control and the operating point of the control by the voltage tracking method is high.
  • the differences ⁇ V 6 and ⁇ V 8 between the terminal voltage when the MPPT control is applied and the terminal voltage when the control by the voltage tracking method is applied, respectively, are compared with each other as seen in FIG. 9A , then ⁇ V 6 ⁇ V 8 . Therefore, when the curve representative of the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell is the curve C 8 , the difference between the generated electric power obtained from the solar cell when the MPPT control is applied and the generated electric power obtained from the solar cell when the control by the voltage tracking method is applied is great.
  • cooperation control control by cooperation or interlocking of the control unit and the battery unit is suitably referred to as cooperation control.
  • FIG. 9B shows an example of a configuration of a control system wherein cooperation control by a control unit and a plurality of battery units is carried out.
  • one or a plurality of battery units BU each including a set of a charger circuit and a battery are connected to the control unit CU.
  • the one or plural battery units BU are connected in parallel to the electric power line L 1 as shown in FIG. 9B .
  • the control system includes a plurality of control units CU, one or a plurality of control units CU are connected in parallel to the electric power line L 1 .
  • the MPPT control or the control by the voltage tracking method described above is executed by a power conditioner interposed between the solar cell and the battery.
  • the one battery may be configured from a plurality of batteries which operate in an integrated manner, usually the batteries are those of the single type.
  • the MPPT control or the control by the voltage tracking method described above is executed by a single power conditioner connected between a solar cell and one battery.
  • the number and configuration which is a connection scheme such as parallel connection or series connection, of batteries which make a target of charging do not change but are fixed generally during charging.
  • the control unit CU and the plural battery units BUa, BUb, BUc, . . . carry out autonomous control so that the output voltage of the control unit CU and the voltage required by the battery units BU are balanced well with each other.
  • the batteries B included in the battery units BUa, BUb, BUc, . . . may be of any types.
  • the control unit CU) according to the present disclosure can carry out cooperation control for a plurality of types of batteries B.
  • the individual battery units BU can be connected or disconnected arbitrarily, and also the number of battery units BU connected to the control unit CU is changeable during electric generation of the solar cell.
  • the load as viewed from the solar cell is variable during electric generation of the solar cell.
  • the cooperation control can cope not only with a variation of the illumination intensity on the solar cell but also with a variation of the load as viewed from the solar cell during electric generation of the solar cell. This is one of significant characteristics which are not achieved by configurations in related arts.
  • the solar cell is connected to the input side of the control unit CU and the battery unit BUa is connected to the output side of the control unit CU.
  • the upper limit to the output voltage of the solar cell is 100 V and the lower limit to the output voltage of the solar cell is desired to be suppressed to 75 V.
  • the upper limit and the lower limit to the output voltage from the control unit CU are set, for example, to 48 V and 45 V, respectively.
  • the value of 48 V which is the upper limit to the output terminal from the control unit CU is adjusted by suitably selecting the resistors Rc 1 and Rc 2 in the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 .
  • the target voltage value of the output from the control unit CU is set to 48 V.
  • the upper limit and the lower limit to the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a of the battery unit BUa are set, for example, to 42 V and 28 V, respectively. Accordingly, the resistors Rb 1 , Rb 2 and Rb 3 in the charger circuit 41 a are selected so that the upper limit and the lower limit to the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a may become 42 V and 28 V, respectively.
  • a state in which the input voltage to the charger circuit 41 a is the upper limit voltage corresponds to a state in which the charge rate into the battery Ba is 100% whereas another state in which the input voltage to the charger circuit 41 a is the lower limit voltage corresponds to a state in which the charge rate is 0%.
  • the state in which the input voltage to the charger circuit 41 a is 48 V corresponds to the state in which the charge rate into the battery Ba is 100%
  • the state in which the input voltage to the charger circuit 41 a is 45 V corresponds to the state in which the charge rate into the battery Ba is 0%.
  • the charge rate is set within the range of 0 to 100%.
  • charge rate control into the battery may be carried out in parallel to and separately from the cooperation control.
  • the output from the charger circuit 41 a is feedback-adjusted to adjust the charge voltage so that the charge current may be kept lower than fixed current.
  • the charge voltage is kept equal to or lower than a fixed voltage.
  • the charge voltage adjusted here is equal to or lower than the voltage adjusted by the cooperation control described above.
  • FIG. 10A illustrates a change of the operating point when the cooperation control is carried out in the case where the illumination intensity upon the solar cell decreases.
  • the axis of ordinate represents the terminal current of the solar cell and the axis of abscissa represents the terminal voltage of the solar cell.
  • a blank round mark in FIG. 10A represents an operating point when the MPPT control is carried out
  • a shadowed round mark in FIG. 10A represents an operating point when the cooperation control is carried out.
  • Curves C 5 to C 8 shown in FIG. 10A represent voltage-current characteristics of the solar cell when the illumination intensity upon the solar cell changes.
  • the electric power required by the battery Ba is 100 W (watt) and the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell is represented by the curve C 5 which corresponds to the most sunny weather state. Further, it is assumed that the operating point of the solar cell at this time is represented, for example, by a point a on the curve C 5 , and the electric power or supply amount supplied from the solar cell to the battery Ba through the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the charger circuit 41 a is higher than the electric power or demanded amount required by the battery Ba.
  • the output voltage from the control unit CU to the battery unit BUa is 48 V of the upper limit.
  • the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a of the battery unit BUa is 42 V of the upper limit, and charge into the battery Ba is carried out at the charge rate of 100%. It is to be noted that surplus electric power is abandoned, for example, as heat. It is to be noted that, although it has been described that the charge into the battery is carried out at 100%, the charge into the battery is not limited to 100% but can be adjusted suitably in accordance with a characteristic of the battery.
  • the curve representative of the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell changes from the curve C 5 to the curve C 6 .
  • the terminal voltage of the solar cell gradually drops, and also the output voltage from the control unit CU to the battery unit BUa gradually drops. Accordingly, as the curve representative of the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell changes from the curve C 5 to the curve C 6 , the operating point of the solar cell moves, for example, to a point b on the curve C 6 .
  • the curve representative of the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell changes from the curve C 6 to the curve C 7 , and as the terminal voltage of the solar cell gradually drops, also the output voltage from the control unit CU to the battery unit BUa drops.
  • the control system cannot supply the electric power of 100% to the battery Ba any more.
  • the charger circuit 41 a of the battery unit BUa begins to step down the output voltage to the battery Ba.
  • the charge current supplied to the battery Ba decreases, and the charging into the battery Ba connected to the charger circuit 41 a is decelerated. In other words, the charge rate into the battery Ba drops.
  • the charger circuit 41 a of the battery unit BUa steps up the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a to raise the charge rate into the battery Ba.
  • the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 of the control unit CU steps down the output voltage to the battery unit BUa.
  • the cooperation control is different from the MPPT control in that it is not controlled by software. Therefore, the cooperation control does not require calculation of the terminal voltage which provides a maximum operating point. Further, the adjustment of the charge rate by the cooperation control does not include calculation by a CPU. Therefore, the cooperation control is low in power consumption in comparison with the MPPT control, and also the charge rate adjustment described above is executed in such a short period of time of approximately several nanoseconds to several hundred nanoseconds.
  • the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the charger circuit 41 a merely detect the magnitude of the input voltage thereto and adjust the output voltage, analog/digital conversion is not required and also communication between the control unit CU and the battery unit BUa is not required. Accordingly, the cooperation control does not require complicated circuitry, and the circuit for implementing the cooperation control is small in scale.
  • the control unit CU can supply the electric power of 100 W and the output voltage from the control unit CU to the battery unit BUa converges to a certain value. Further, it is assumed that the operating point of the solar cell changes, for example, to the point c on the curve C 7 . At this time, the electric power supplied to the battery Ba becomes lower than 100 W. However, as seen in FIG. 10A , depending upon selection of the value of the voltage Vt 0 , electric power which is not inferior to that in the case wherein the MPPT control is carried out can be supplied to the battery Ba.
  • the curve representative of the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell changes from the curve C 7 to the curve C 8 , and the operating point of the solar cell changes, for example, to a point d on the curve C 8 .
  • the control system does not suffer from the system down.
  • FIG. 10B illustrates a change of the operating point when the cooperation control is carried out in the case where the load as viewed from the solar cell increases.
  • the axis of ordinate represents the terminal current of the solar cell and the axis of abscissa represents the terminal voltage of the solar cell.
  • a shadowed round mark in FIG. 10B represents an operating point when the cooperation control is carried out.
  • the terminal voltage of the solar cell may be considered substantially equal to the open voltage. Accordingly, the operating point of the solar cell immediately after the startup of the control system may be considered existing, for example, at a point e on the curve C 0 . It is to be noted that the output voltage from the control unit CU to the battery unit BUa may be considered to be 48 V of the upper limit.
  • the operating point of the solar cell moves, for example, to a point g on the curve C 0 . It is to be noted that, since, in the description of the present example, the electric power required by the battery Ba is 100 W, the area of a region S 1 indicated by a shadow in FIG. 10B is equal to 100 W.
  • the control system When the operating point of the solar cell is at the point g on the curve C 0 , the control system is in a state in which the electric power supplied from the solar cell to the battery Ba through the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the charger circuit 41 a is higher than the electric power required by the battery Ba. Accordingly, the terminal voltage of the solar cell, the output voltage from the control unit CU and the voltage supplied to the battery Ba when the operating point of the solar cell is at the point g on the curve C 0 are 100 V, 48 V and 42 V, respectively.
  • the battery unit BUb having a configuration similar to that of the battery unit BUa is newly connected to the control unit CU. If it is assumed that the battery Bb connected to the battery unit BUb requires electric power of 100 W for the charge thereof similarly to the battery Ba connected to the battery unit BUa, then the power consumption increases and the load as viewed from the solar cell increases suddenly.
  • the totaling output current In order to supply totaling electric power of 200 W to the two batteries, the totaling output current must be doubled, for example, while the output voltage from the charger circuit 41 a of the battery unit BUa and the charger circuit 41 b of the battery unit BUb is maintained.
  • the terminal voltage of the solar cell drops as a result of new or additional connection of the battery unit BUb, then adjustment of the balance between the demand and the supply of electric power in the control system is carried out.
  • the charge rate into the two batteries is lowered automatically so that electric power supplied to the battery Ba and the battery Bb may totally become, for example, 150 W.
  • the power consumption decrease as a whole, and consequently, the load as viewed from the solar cell decreases and the terminal voltage of the solar cell rises or recovers by an amount corresponding to the decreasing amount of the load as viewed from the solar cell.
  • the charger circuit of the individual battery units BU detects the magnitude of the input voltage thereto in response to an increase of the load as viewed from the solar cell, and automatically suppresses the current amount to be sucked thereby. According to the cooperation control, even if the number of those battery units BU which are connected to the control unit CU increases to suddenly increase the load as viewed from the solar cell, otherwise possible system down of the control system can be prevented.
  • FIG. 11 illustrates a change of the operating point when the cooperation control is carried out in the case where both of the illumination intensity on the solar cell and the load as viewed from the solar cell vary.
  • the axis of ordinate represents the terminal current of the solar cell and the axis of abscissa represents the terminal voltage of the solar cell.
  • a shadowed round mark in FIG. 11 represents an operating point when the cooperation control is carried out.
  • Curves C 5 to C 8 shown in FIG. 11 indicate voltage-current characteristics of the solar cell in the case where the illumination intensity upon the solar cell varies.
  • the battery unit BUa which includes the battery Ba which requires the electric power of 100 W for the charging thereof is connected to the control unit CU. Also it is assumed that the voltage-current characteristic of the solar cell at this time is represented by a curve C 7 and the operating point of the solar cell is represented by a point p on the curve C 7 .
  • the terminal voltage of the solar cell at the point p considerably approaches the voltage Vt 0 set in advance as a lower limit to the output voltage of the solar cell. That the terminal voltage of the solar cell considerably approaches the voltage Vt 0 signifies that, in the control system, adjustment of the charge rate by the cooperation control is executed and the charge rate is suppressed significantly.
  • the electric power supplied to the battery Ba through the charger circuit 41 a is considerably higher than the electric power supplied to the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 from the solar cell. Accordingly, in the state in which the operating point of the solar cell is represented by the point p shown in FIG. 11 , adjustment of the charge rate is carried out by a great amount, and electric power considerably lower than 100 W is supplied to the charger circuit 41 a which charges the battery Ba.
  • the power consumption when the charger circuits 41 a and 41 b fully charge the batteries Ba and Bb is 200 W.
  • the cooperation control is continued and the power consumption is adjusted to a value lower than 200 W such as, for example, to 150 W.
  • the terminal voltage of the solar cell becomes sufficiently higher than the voltage Vt 0 at a certain point. If the electric power supplied from the solar cell to the two batteries through the high voltage input power supply circuit 11 and the charger circuits 41 a and 41 b comes to be higher than the electric power required to charge the two batteries, then the adjustment of the charge rate by the cooperation control is moderated or automatically cancelled.
  • the operating point of the solar cell is represented, for example, by a point r on the curve C 5 and charging into the individual batteries Ba and Bb is carried out at the charge rate of 100%.
  • the cooperation control In the cooperation control, the balance between the demand and the supply of electric power between the control unit CU and the individual battery units BU is adjusted so that the input voltage to the individual battery units BU may not become lower than the voltage Vt 0 determined in advance. Accordingly, with the cooperation control, the charge rate into the individual batteries B can be changed on the real time basis in response to the supplying capacity of the input side as viewed from the individual battery units BU. In this manner, the cooperation control can cope not only with a variation of the illumination intensity on the solar cell but also with a variation of the load as viewed from the solar cell.
  • the present disclosure does not require a commercial power supply. Accordingly, the present disclosure is effective also in a district in which a power supply apparatus or electrical power network is not maintained.
  • FIG. 12 is a view illustrating an example of a charge controlling process.
  • power of 600 W is supplied from a photovoltaic power generation section or the like to the control unit CU.
  • the control unit CU charges the batteries B of the battery units BU with the supplied power.
  • a battery unit BUa, another battery unit BUb and a further battery unit BUc are connected to the control unit CU.
  • the battery unit BUa and the battery unit BUb execute a charging process under the control of the control unit CU.
  • the battery unit BUa and the battery unit BUb execute the charging process, for example, in a state in which charge current is set to 3 A (ampere).
  • the magnitude of the charge current when each battery unit BU carries out the charging process is set, for example, by the control unit CU.
  • the control unit CU acquires information relating to the batteries B in advance by communication from the battery units BU.
  • the information of each battery B includes, for example, the magnitude of the charge current for charging the battery B and a rated capacity.
  • the information can be set arbitrarily.
  • the control unit CU sets the magnitude of the charge current for each battery unit while suitably referring to the information of the battery B. It is to be noted that, at the timing of time t 0 , a charging instruction is not issued from the control unit CU to the battery unit BUc. This is equivalent to that the magnitude of the charge current to the battery unit BUc is set to 0 A.
  • the control unit CU acquires temperature information from the battery units BU. For example, the control unit CU periodically transmits a request signal for requesting for the temperature information for each battery unit. In response to the request signal, the battery units BU transmit the temperature information to the control unit CU. It is to be noted that the request signal for requesting the temperature information is transmitted, for example, to the battery unit BUa and battery unit BUb which are carrying out the charging process. The request signal may be transmitted to the battery unit BUc which is not carrying out the charging process.
  • the temperature information is acquired by the temperature sensor 49 which the battery units BU individually have.
  • the temperature sensor 49 is configured from a plurality of sensors, a plurality of pieces of the temperature information of the battery units BU are transmitted to the control unit CU.
  • the time transits from time t 0 to time t 1 . Further, it is assumed that, for example, the temperature of the battery unit BUb is a high temperature at the timing of time t 1 .
  • the decision regarding whether or not the temperature of the battery unit BUb is a high temperature is carried out by the CPU 13 of the control unit CU.
  • the CPU 13 decides, if the value of the temperature information from the battery unit BU is equal to or higher than the threshold value, that the temperature of the battery unit BUb is a high temperature.
  • the temperature of the battery unit BUb is a high temperature, if the battery unit BUb continues the charging process, then there is the possibility that bad influence may be had on the charger circuit, battery, CPU and so forth of the battery unit BUb.
  • the control unit CU carries out control so as to lower the temperature at a predetermined place of the battery unit BUb.
  • the control unit CU reduces, for example, the charge current in the charging process carried out by the battery unit BUb. For example, the charging current of 3 A is lowered to 1 A. If the temperature information of the battery unit BUb is significantly higher than a different threshold value, then the charge current may be reduced further from 1 A. Any number of threshold values may be provided, and charge current amount corresponding to the threshold values may be arbitrarily set.
  • the CPU 45 of the battery unit BUb carries out a process for reducing the charge current in response to the control of the control unit CU.
  • reducing the charge current for example, the temperature of the charger circuit of the battery unit BUb drops.
  • the charging process is carried out by the CCCV (Constant Voltage Constant Current) method, then the charge current in the CC region may be set low. It is to be noted that not only control for reducing the charge current but also control for setting the charging current to 0 A and stopping the charging process may be carried out.
  • the reduction of the charge current includes control for decreasing the charging rate defined by the C (capacity).
  • reduction of the charging rate of 1 C to 0.5 C signifies nothing but actual reduction of the charge current.
  • the charge current in the battery unit BUb is reduced at the timing of t 1 , then the electric power of the battery unit BUb decreases.
  • a process for distributing the reduced electric power (hereinafter referred to sometime as surplus electric power) to a different battery unit BU is carried out.
  • the magnitude of the charge current into the battery unit BUa is increased from 3 A to 5 A to use the surplus electric power.
  • the battery B of the battery unit BUa can be quickly charged.
  • a charging process into the battery unit BUc may be started.
  • the charging process into the battery unit BUc may be started while the charge current into the battery unit BUa is increased.
  • the charge controlling process can be modified in the following manner.
  • the electric power by photovoltaic power generation or the like supplied to the control unit CU varies. Therefore, when the electric power supplied from the outside drops, control for reducing the charge current may be combined with the control described above. Further, when the electric power supplied from the outside increases, control for increasing the charging current may be combined with the control described above.
  • the threshold value for deciding the high temperature may be set stepwise such that the charging current is decreased step by step in response to the set step.
  • FIG. 13 is a view illustrating an example of a discharge controlling process.
  • the configuration of the system is similar to that of the system of the charge controlling process described above. It is assumed that the control unit CU and the battery units BUa, BUb and BUc individually have, for example, a capacity capable of supplying electric power of 600 W. The load connected to the control unit CU requires, for example, electric power of 600 W.
  • the control unit CU acquires, for example, temperature information of the battery units BUa and BUb which are carrying out a discharging process. Since the process for acquiring the temperature information is similar to that of the charge controlling process described above, overlapping description is omitted herein to avoid redundancy.
  • the CPU 13 of the control unit CU makes a decision of whether or not the temperature information indicates a high temperature. For example, if the temperature information is equal to or higher than the threshold value, then the CPU 13 decides that the temperature information indicates a high temperature. It is assumed here that it is decided that the battery unit BUb is in a high-temperature state.
  • the output from the battery unit BUb reduces to 100 W at the timing of t 1 .
  • the electric power reduced by 200 W is compensated for, for example, by the battery unit BUa.
  • the control unit CU controls the battery unit BUa such that the electric power outputted from the battery unit BUa becomes 500 W.
  • the battery unit BUa increases the discharge current under the control of the control unit CU to increase the electric power to be outputted to 500 W. By the process, the electric power of 600 W for the load can be supplied. It is to be noted that, in order to continue the supply of the electric power to the load, the electric power from the battery unit BUa is increased and then the electric power of the battery unit BUb is reduced.
  • the reduced electric power is compensated for by the battery unit BUa
  • the reduced power may otherwise be compensated for singly by the battery unit BUc.
  • the discharge controlling process may be carried out such that, at the timing of t 1 , electric power of 300 W is supplied from the battery unit BUa; electric power of 200 W is supplied from the battery unit BUb; and electric power of 100 W is supplied from the battery unit BUc.
  • the reduced electric power may be compensated for by the battery units BUa and BUc.
  • electric power may be supplied with a sufficient margin given to the electric power required by the load. For example, when the load requires electric power of 600 W, the totaling electric power of 650 W may be supplied from the battery units BU.
  • control unit and the battery unit in the control system may be portable.
  • the control system described above may be applied, for example, to an automobile or a house.
  • the present disclosure can be configured also as a charge/discharge controlling apparatus which carries out a charge controlling process and a discharge controlling process.
  • a charge controlling system including:
  • control apparatus includes
  • the battery units individually include
  • a conversion section configured to convert a voltage supplied thereto from the outside into a predetermined voltage
  • the senor is attached to at least one of a position in the proximity of the battery, another position in the proximity of the charge controlling section and a further position in the proximity of the conversion section.
  • a charge controlling apparatus including:
  • an acquisition section configured to acquire sensor information from at least one of a plurality of battery units
  • control section configured to set a magnitude of charge current for each of the battery units in response to the sensor information.
  • a charge controlling method including:
  • a discharge controlling apparatus including:
  • a temperature information acquisition section configured to acquire temperature information from at least one of a plurality of battery units
  • control section configured to decrease an output amount of a predetermined battery unit whose temperature information is higher than a reference temperature but increase an output amount of a different battery unit whose temperature information is lower than the reference temperature
  • control section controls the different battery unit such that the increased output amount is greater than the decreased output amount.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Charge And Discharge Circuits For Batteries Or The Like (AREA)
  • Secondary Cells (AREA)
  • Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
US13/670,440 2011-11-07 2012-11-06 Charge controlling system, charge controlling apparatus, charge controlling method and discharge controlling apparatus Expired - Fee Related US9059593B2 (en)

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US10897147B2 (en) * 2015-11-16 2021-01-19 Molex, Llc Power charging module and temperature-based methods of using same
KR102613489B1 (ko) * 2016-05-27 2023-12-14 삼성전자주식회사 수신 감도 개선을 위한 충전 제어 방법 및 이를 구현한 전자 장치
KR101924520B1 (ko) 2016-06-16 2018-12-03 주식회사 엘지화학 배터리 시스템 관리 장치 및 방법
CN106655326A (zh) * 2016-10-18 2017-05-10 惠州Tcl移动通信有限公司 基于温度的移动终端充电电流调节控制方法及移动终端
US10985590B2 (en) 2016-11-01 2021-04-20 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method and apparatus for charging battery
CN106707880B (zh) * 2016-12-29 2019-11-19 浙江中易慧能科技有限公司 管网监测装置及方法
CN108736559A (zh) * 2017-04-24 2018-11-02 西华大学 一种基于忆阻器的太阳能蓄电池充放电控制器
JP6729622B2 (ja) * 2018-03-28 2020-07-22 横河電機株式会社 電子機器、電池寿命判定方法、及び電池寿命判定プログラム
CN110867909A (zh) * 2018-08-27 2020-03-06 中兴通讯股份有限公司 一种温控方法和装置
KR102064876B1 (ko) * 2019-07-26 2020-02-12 (주)비엠일렉텍 온도 제어를 통해 배터리 수명을 연장시킬 수 있는 다중 충전기
CN110843530B (zh) * 2019-10-23 2021-05-04 江苏聚磁电驱动科技有限公司 大中功率电动车多模块智能驱动系统及其大中功率电动车
CN110816302A (zh) * 2019-10-23 2020-02-21 无锡赛盈动力科技有限公司 一种大中功率电动车多模块智能驱动系统的充电控制方法
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CN103094955B (zh) 2016-08-17

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